This is an article in a series of articles called Your Ultimate Guide to Law Student Recruitment. Don’t forget to read the previous article here: Law Student Recruit Resume Template
Introduction
Recall from this article that reference letters are different from references. Rather than just a list of people you know that firms can contact to learn more about you, reference letters are actual letters written by other people attesting to your character, skills, and experience that you can include in your application package. This article will discuss how you should go about requesting reference letters or even writing your own.
Requesting Reference Letters
First off, request reference letters early because they take time to write and your references will need time to write them. Secondly, make sure to request references from people who know you well. Choose someone you have worked with closely and can speak at great length about who you are as a person and your work ethic. Ideally, this would be someone you know in a professional capacity (i.e. avoid your parents or best friend). Good examples of people to request reference letters from include managers or supervisors, professors, colleagues, volunteer coordinators, senior committee members, and club executives. If you don’t have an extensive employment history, you can look to someone you know from school or through an extracurricular activity/volunteering.
Generally, you would want a reference letter from someone who is more senior or higher up in the organizational hierarchy than you because it gives their words more authority and credibility. But again, make sure that person knows you well. If they don’t, opt for someone who does even if that someone is not above you or more experienced. You don’t want a totally biased reference letter but you don’t want a generic one either. It should be personal and detailed, which is why it’s more important to have someone who really knows you write it regardless of their position. Plus, that way, it will make it that much easier for them to write your reference letter and hopefully get it done sooner.
Email Template for Requesting Reference Letters
Aim to have at least 2 reference letters so choose 2 people who you think will write you stellar ones. If you want, you can choose 2 others as backup, in case your first 2 choices are not willing or able to write you reference letters. Once you’ve chosen who to request reference letters from, it’s time to contact them. You can do this however you’d like but I prefer to do it by email over in person or by phone so it’s more professional and there’s a written record of your communications that you can refer back to. If you need a little help thinking about what to say, here is an email template that you can use to request your reference letters:
Hi [Reference’s Name],
I hope you are doing well. I am writing you this email to ask if you would be willing to write a reference letter for me to use as I apply for a law student position this summer. I greatly enjoyed and benefited from working with you as a [Your Position] and I hope that you might know me well enough to provide insight into my work, character, and academic abilities.
The earliest deadline for some law firms for this recruit is [Date], so I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with the reference letter by then. If that timeline does not work for you or you are unable to provide me with a reference letter for any other reason, please let me know.
Thank you for considering my request. I have attached my resume/CV to this email to help you write the reference letter. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have and provide anything further that you require.
Thank you again and I hope to hear from you soon. Have a wonderful day!
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
Protip: Always provide your resume/CV to your references to help them write your reference letter (make it as easy as possible so they get it done!).
Writing Your Own Reference Letters
Sometimes, you might be asked to write your own reference letters. I know that sounds weird, and trust me, it will feel even weirder once you get to the writing part but it IS a thing. It’s happened to me before. I reached out to a supervisor who told me to draft my own reference letter for them to review and sign off on. People are busy. Some of them don’t have time to write reference letters even if they want to, so you might have to step up and write your own!
Tips for Writing Your Own Reference Letters
- Highlight your strengths in your reference letter. This is not the time to be humble! Why are you a great person to work with? Why should a firm want to hire you? What makes you a qualified candidate? At the same time, be genuine. Obviously, don’t make up stories that are not true. You can talk about your strengths and achievements proudly without resorting to lies.
- Try to place yourself in the shoes of the person who is meant to be writing your reference letter. What projects did you work on together? What did you do during that time to help you stand out? Your reference letter will be much more convincing and effective if you do this (i.e. don’t talk about your volunteering at church in a reference letter that’s supposedly from your university professor if you’ve never spoken to them about it and they might not even know you go to church).
- It’s okay if you don’t feel quite right doing this. After all, the whole point of reference letters is to let other people speak to your character and achievements. But think about it this way, they will still read what you write so if they don’t like it or they don’t believe in it, they could always make changes or even flat out refuse to sign it with their name.
Template for Writing Your Own Reference Letters
Still unsure how to write your own reference letter? Don’t fret young padawan, here is yet another template that I wrote (and used) to help you out.
[Date]
To Whom It May Concern,
Re: Reference Letter for [Your Name]
I am writing this letter of reference in support of [Your Name]’s application for a law student position at your firm.
[Your Name] was employed as a [Your Position] at [Your Reference’s Company Name] last summer and I had the pleasure of supervising her work in my capacity as the company’s [Your Reference’s Title]. Her position involved [Your Job Responsibilities].
[Your Name] fulfilled her work duties [Adjective to Describe Your Work e.g. effectively]. She demonstrated [Your Skills e.g. excellent time management].
[Your Name] has great enthusiasm and [Your Strengths e.g. works well with others]. She is [Personal Characteristic e.g. curious] and expresses a genuine desire to learn.
She would be an asset to any team and I am happy to act as a reference for her. If you have any questions or require additional details, please feel free to contact me by phone at [Your Reference’s Phone Number] or email at [Your Reference’s Email].
Yours Respectfully,
[Your Reference’s Name]
[Your Reference’s Title & Company Name]
Conclusion
There you have it! You now know how to request reference letters from your references. Remember to choose references who know you well and can speak at great length and in great detail about who you are and what you’ve accomplished. If all else fails, you can also write your own reference letters and simply have your references review and sign them for you. Reference letters are a great way to make your application package stronger so you can have a better chance at getting an interview during the law student recruit.
This is an article in a series of articles called Your Ultimate Guide to Law Student Recruitment.
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